North Augusta's newest community is blue and green.
Mossy Oak, which is behind Edgewood Square off of Pinewood Road, is unique to the North Augusta-Augusta area because it is the only subdivision in which each house is and will be constructed out of BluWood, said Bear Shelton, the vice president of BluWood South.
BluWood is a treated lumber that resists mold, mildew and termites. It's dyed blue as a trademark.
It's also slow to burn.
"If the house does catch on fire, BluWood will actually give you a couple of hours to get out," said developer Bert Ellis.
Ellis and Olde South Realty played host to an open house in the subdivision Saturday.
Visitors walked through two homes that are near completion and could inspect two that were still under construction, one of which was only a BluWood frame.
Ellis said he saw BluWood featured on reality shows such as Extreme Home Makeover. On those shows, residents were having issues with mold and mildew.
"I have two kids," he said. "What can I do to protect them?"
He decided to build a green community, and BluWood is only one component.
Builders are also installing tankless water heaters, Energy Star appliances and ThermoBlock insulation, Ellis said.
Even the methods of framing the homes are designed to eliminate waste, said Dave Thompson, building consultant for Graystone Homes.
"We pay attention to how we place the homes on the lot," Thompson said.
The yards are kept small to reduce residents' carbon footprints, Ellis said.
Smaller yards mean less gas and water used to care for the lawns.
Two wooded areas insulate the area from adjoining neighborhoods on one side, and on the other side is county property.
"This is just nestled away," Ellis said. "We're secluded."
Reach Lisa Kaylor at lisa.kaylor@northaugustatoday.com.
I think this is a much needed community. Mossy Oak is so close to everything. North Augusta should be proud for what these guys are doing!! I looked at 319 Mossy Oak Circle and was impressed about the 4 bedrooms for only $159,900. AWESOME!! Looking forward to North Augusta's next project.
It IS nice, but the houses are a little too close together for me. "Smaller yards mean less gas and water used to care for the lawns", may be true but it also means no trees, no shade, AC runs more, higher cooling costs, and not a lot of room for the kids to play. I guess its a trade off. They do look nice though.
You should take a closer look. What S/D in north augusta currently has more trees in the yard? We walked most of the lots with the Olde South guy and there are a lot of BIG tress left on the lots. They said they are trying to leave as many as possible. There is 3.5 acres of parks so I think the kids will have MORE than enough room to play. I have two kids so that is a big deal for us. We are looking at plans to build one soon in there. Is there another s/d you would recommend in N Augusta in that range?
Mossy Oak is the only subdivision I have seen where the trees are actually left undisturbed when possible. I thought all subdivisions started out with a general plow down, but not this one. The houses are really attractive too. The people who are putting it together are actually listening to what people really want! I like to drive through there to see what they're doing.